Prior to hanging around my own personal Brit husband………………I knew nothing of Boxing Day.  It wasn’t a named day in rural Ohio.

 

We’ve discovered over the years that even though we are both from English speaking countries, there are oceans (the Atlantic to be specific) of differences between us.

There’s a world of differences in the traditions, the vocabulary, the expectations, a whole list of differences……………..and the food.  I love the food.  (But not the gray, boiled meat.)  Remember, this is the country that invented Beef Wellington AND the sandwich.I love food……………..

Dr. Atkins and I have had this discussion………………

Oh, but I’ve lost twenty-five pounds.  Probably another fifteen stone to go.  I need to find out again how many pounds are in a stone……………..

 

 

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TURKIST DELIGHT!?!  What is that stuff!?!

It is so mysteriously good. It’s like Jell-O, but it’s not.  It can stand by itself on a hot day———-Jell-O can’t do that.  And how can it taste just like a rose smells!?!  How do they do that?

My Grandmother had a rose-flavoring for her Royal Frosting recipe.  It tasted like roses smell, too…………………but it’s really hard to find where to buy it now…………………….(but I did)…………………besides, it’s only unhealthy for you in California.

And there were these metallic silver decorative balls that she would put in the middle of frosting rosettes on her wedding cakes.  Now you can’t find them anywhere…………………….they are probably unhealthy for you in more states than California.

Having grown up in the 50’s and 60’s, I bet they got the metallic coloring from mercury…………or maybe lead.

 

 

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But back to the British…

They really get into their clackers and their poppers……………..I don’t think I’ll ever get used to those paper hats.  I’ll have to find my own celebratory hat………………….

I think I’d like to start celebrating Hogmanay……………………maybe a Hogmanay bonfire?

That sounds appropriate.  Plus, with Irma’s help, we are not at a loss for firewood, and some of it is just too big for the fireplace…………and we have a big fireplace.

Ooh, and with our fireplace—–I got a cast iron arm for the side of it.  It will swing in and out and support my cast iron stew pots.

Then we can have Peas-Porridge-Hot (or Cold).

Now that’s a gross little nursery rhyme, if you want to do a bit of historic research………………….blah.  Really!……………nine days old!?!

Salmonella, anyone?

But, back to those paper hats that all Brits seem to have to put on their heads at Holidays……………….I just can’t get behind that………………..

Even Dr. Who appears to be okay wearing them in multiple episodes!?!

I’ll just have to pick a different type of holiday hat, I guess.

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I can even tolerate tripe and Haggis (no I can’t).  That’s compost material if I ever saw it.

Does anyone out there (along with Pascal) remember when Campbell’s soup had Scotch Broth as a flavor?  And the little uniform squares of tripe floating in it?  Those ugly, floating, white cushions of awfulness in a sea of tomato-esque-colored watery broth?

Ah, memories…………….

I still remember getting a bowl of it once when I was sick—–for remedial purposes.  My Mom must’ve run out of the standard-remedial-Campbell’s-Chicken-Noodle-Soup……………..(plus Ritz crackers)………………..it was enough to make me sicker.

But, I digress.

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Another good British Holiday is Guy Fawkes Day.  It celebrates when Mr. Fawkes (a member of the Gunpowder League(?)) tried to blow up the House of Lords.  That’s another bonfire-party-potential.

And………………………I AM seeing how so many of my festivities center around me being a closet-pyromaniac……………….heh, heh, heh……………..

Who’s got the matches?